National: Teacher Banned From Teaching For Hoax

Victoria Jones has been suspended from teaching in Wales for two years because she stole Facebook baby pictures to torment her ex-boyfriend.

A teacher who tricked her former beau into thinking he was a father by e-mailing him pictures of someone else’s baby has been kicked out of the classroom for two years.

Victoria Jones, of Wales, kept up the deception for two years by sending her boyfriend 82 pictures of a friend’s infant she stole from Facebook, the BBC reports.

The hoax was an elaborate plot to get revenge on Daniel Barberini for dumping her, according to The Daily Mail.

Jones claimed she had relocated to Australia with the little girl, making it difficult for Barberini to see Jones — or their fictional daughter — in person. The former boyfriend believed the girl’s name was Keira and that she had a twin brother with Down’s syndrome who died shortly after birth, The Daily Mailnotes.

But all the while Jones continued to teach four- and five-year-olds in a Newport, Wales primary school,The Telegraph reported.

The baby pictures actually belonged to Jones’ friend Sarah Jensen. They showed Jensen’s daughter as a newborn, at her first birthday and celebrating Christmas.

The spiteful ploy fell apart when Barberini shared the images with a friend who recognized Jensen’s toddler, according to reports. The friend told Jensen and the outraged mom called the police.

Police said nothing criminal took place, but upset parents flooded the school with complaints. At a hearing last week a disciplinary board meted down the two-year teaching ban.